Four Ways to Ship Two People
by MeanlySweatz
Summary: At Plagg's Suggestion, Adrien gives up on chasing Ladybug as Cat Noir to pursue her as Adrien Agreste. Things go well until he starts feeling jealous toward himself.
1. Chapter 1

~Adrien~

"M'Lady," I say, swooping my hand in an ark as I reach toward Ladybug. "Now that our work is over, should we catch that movie?"

She smiles at me, letting a sigh out between her teeth, "Cat Noir, we're going to transform back in a second. And I never said we would see the movie, I only said we _might _be able to."

"Oh, come on," I insist, taking both of her hands with a grin. "We can go to a later showing to give us time to get our transforming affairs in order."

She frowns at me, brows knit together in thought. "I don't think it's a good idea. People already think we're dating without us going out to the movies together. Besides, it feels weird walking around in costume doing casual things."

"Who cares what the people think!" I say, letting go of her hands so I can make a grand gesture. "Let them take it how they want, the only opinions that matter are ours." Leaning in, I hold my tail in my hand, twirling it with a fresh smile on my face. "I want to hang out with you in a setting where we aren't facing evil. Is that so much to ask?"

"Yes," she tells me. "I think that it is too much for now, Cat Noir. I'm sorry." Ladybug starts backing away to make her exit, the sound of our beeping miraculous's ticking in the background. "We don't have time to talk about this." Smiling at me she adds, "Good job today. I wouldn't want any other partner."

With that she swings away, leaving me in the dust. The nighttime chill feels so much colder without her around. "Plagg, claws in," I mumble.

My miraculous times out, leaving me standing on the roof in a t-shirt and jeans. "Come on," I say. "Let's go home, Plagg."

~Plagg~

Oh, this isn't a good idea. Tikki has never been less responsible than me. This feels wrong.

Adrien is playing with his Ladybug and Cat Noir toys again. This time he's using his terrible girl impression to make Ladybug turn him down. What could Tikki even have to be concerned about when I'm stuck witnessing this catastrophe?

"_Ladybug and Cat Noir can't be together because Marinette is in love with Adrien," Tikki explained to me. "And Marinette can't be with Adrien because he's in love with Ladybug."_

"_Mhm," I pretended to be listening, while picking cheese out of my teeth._

"_But," she squeaked out with excitement, "Adrien and Ladybug are in love with each other, so they can be together!"_

"_Huh?" I said, tuning back in. "How would that even happen?"_

"_With our help!" she exclaimed. "I'll talk to Marinette about being more confident in front of Adrien as Ladybug and you can talk to Adrien about trying to woo Ladybug as himself instead of Cat Noir."_

"_You don't think they'll be suspicious of that?" The amount of caution I had was concerning to say the least. Mostly I think I didn't want to go to the effort of matchmaking._

"_Don't you want them to be happy?" Tikki appealed to me with big, sparkly bug eyes._

_I guess I did want to stop listening to Adrien whine about his lost love. "I don't know, Tikki, this seems like a bad idea."_

"_Oh!" she chirped, watching Marinette walk away. "I have to go!" With that she whizzed off, leaving me pondering what to do._

When I look back at Adrien, he's making the dolls kiss and sniffling like a baby. "This is a bad idea…" I grumble, going over to him. "Boo!" I shout.

Adrien rolls off of the bed with a loud thump. "What was that, Plagg?!" he shouts, standing back up. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"It's too easy when you're distracted by your dollies," I tease him, snickering.

He blushes, holding the figurines behind his back, "I- I wasn't-... I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mhm," I drawl out, floating over to sit on his pillow. "I don't see why you're still pining over her. She said she was in love with someone else. Let it go."

"I can't just let her go," he says, setting the toys on his bedside table. "She's perfect."

Waving my paw, I say, "Nobody is perfect. Except maybe him." I gesture to a magazine with his face plastered on the front, nose deep in a flower, under the caption 'Adrien goes to the Garden'.

Adrien frowns at it, "That's me, Plagg."

"Exactly!" I chime. "You're Adrien Agreste, the boy that half of Paris is in love with. Maybe Ladybug likes you instead of you."

Shaking his head, he processes this, "You think that whoever Ladybug is, she's in love with picture-boy Adrien instead of the _awesome_ Cat Noir?"

"All I'm saying is you have two good chances instead of one and you aren't optimizing these opportunities." I give a shrug, yawning. "But you're probably right. She probably doesn't like either of you."

"Half of Paris is in love with me…?" he mumbles.

"You didn't notice?" I ask, blinking at him in disappointment. This kid is hopeless.

Smiling to himself, he balls his hands into fists of determination, "You're right! I do have two chances! How could I have missed that?" His eyebrows furrow, "And how did you figure it out before me?"

Smugly, I puff out my chest, "Well, I am a genius. I'll start working on more brilliant ideas for you if you give me some cheese."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Adrien says, opening a drawer and tossing a cheese wheel in my direction.

"Woah!" I barely manage to dodge the cheese before it crushes me. "Did you smell-proof that drawer just so I wouldn't know where you kept the cheese?"

"That doesn't matter right now! How can I get in contact with Ladybug as Adrien?" he starts muttering in his obsessive voice. When he starts plotting, there's no hope to snap him out of it. I leave him to stew.

~Marinette~

Squealing, I do a little dance around my room, . "Tikki! Adrien thinks that I'm- 'the most graceful and strong crime-fighting girl that could ever protect the people of Paris.'" Waving the newspaper invite in her face, I exclaim, "Isn't that amazing!?"

"That's great!" Tikki tells me, zipping around in a dance of her own.

Giggling, I ask, "We have to go, right? It's not dangerous to go for dinner, is it?"

"Well…" she hums.

"Tikki, please!" I exclaim, hopping in place. "Cat Noir will be with me, I'm sure it'll be fine."

"I'm not worried about it being dangerous, Marinette. I'm just wondering if you'll be okay going." Tikki looks at me with a worried expression.

"What do you mean if I'll be okay? Of course I'll be okay! I'm more than okay with going to Adrien's and having him compliment me on my world saving talent, and me complimenting him on his world class modelling talent, and then we'll take a walk under the stars and he'll hold my hand and say that I'm his forever girl-..."

Crawling into the fetal position, I'm suddenly overwhelmed by the idea of going to Adrien's house. "Marinette?" Tikki chimes.

"Maybe you're right, Tikki," I squeak out. "Maybe I can't do this…" Dragging a pillow off my bed, I squish it into my face. "I'm going to totally embarass myself and then he'll think that Marinette _and_ Ladybug are complete klutzes…"

"You aren't a klutz…" Tikki encourages me, floating down to nuzzle my shoulder. "You're just thinking too much about this. Rather than thinking about being Marinette or Miraculous Ladybug in front of Adrien, just think about being Ladybug going to a banquet. Ladybug wouldn't hesitate to go and she would have complete confidence talking to a citizen of Paris!"

Peeking out from my pillow, I ask, "Even if that citizen is Adrien…?"

"Mhm!" she affirms me. "Ladybug is graceful and strong, remember? You're going to do great! You just need to work on your confidence."

Taking a deep breath, I smile, "You're right." Scooting up into a seated position, I add, "Besides, Cat Noir will be with me, too, so I don't have anything to worry about."

"Exactly!" Tikki tells me. "Except, hopefully he'll stay and talk to Mr. Agreste while you and Adrien go for that walk under the stars."

Blushing, I hug the pillow to my chest. "Tikki!"

"Not going?!" I shriek. "What do you mean you're not going? You said you could go an hour ago!"

Groaning, he tells me, "I got food poisoning…" I avert my eyes when his cheeks puff up as if he might puke.

"Why did you eat an hour before a banquet?" I whimper.

Looking back at my Yo-Yo's screen, he doesn't seem to be at risk of vomiting anymore. "Plagg said it was the best cheese he'd had in his life. I figured I should try it."

"Plagg is the Kwami for destruction! Anything he likes would destroy someone's intestines!" I squawk out.

He smiles at me weakly, "That does make a lot of sense in retrospect… I'm sorry, Ladybug, I really wanted to go with you."

"It's okay…" I groan, rubbing my face. "Maybe I should ask Adrien to postpone it. He wanted us both to go, after all."

"No!" he exclaims. "I mean, that would probably be so disappointing, since they already made all the arrangements. You can go without me." Smiling, he adds, "It'll probably be boring if I'm not there to be the life of the party, though."

Giggling, I say, "We'll cope." Furrowing my brow, I ask, "Are you sure you'll be okay? Do you need anything?"

His smile is soft as he tells me, "Your concern will be enough to make me better, Bug-a-boo."

Blushing, I roll my eyes at him, "Yeah, yeah. Don't eat anything else Plagg likes, okay?"

"Can do and will do, captain. Trust me…"

"Bye," I say with a wave, clicking closed my Yo-Yo. "Spots off."

Tikki glances at me, "You sure you want to go?"

"Yeah," I say, smiling at her. "Cat Noir is right. They went to a lot of trouble for this banquet. The least I can do is go, eat, and chat for a bit."

~Gabriel~

This is too good. Miraculous Ladybug in my very own home. This could be my chance to get her miraculous. Even if Cat Noir won't be here, without his precious Ladybug, he'll be an easy target. My akumas wouldn't be purified. He'd be hopelessly overwhelmed.

Chuckling to myself as I walk to the banquet hall, I hear the doorbell ring. Rather than going to the door, I continue on my route, assured that Nathalie will let Ladybug in. Adrien, however, runs out of his room, bulldozing into me.

I blink down at him as he fixes his gelled hair frantically. Raising an eyebrow, I ask, "Everything alright, son?"

"Yes, father," he blurts out, quickly walking the wrong way down the hall. "Thanks for asking."

"Aren't you going to the banquet hall?"

"Well, um, you see, I wanted to meet her at the door." Smiling, he goes on, "I thought it might be a more warm welcome than just having Nathalie escort her."

"Hm," I hum, looking him over. He's dressed nicer than I'd have expected. "Well, alright, son. I'll come with you, then." Turning, I walk over to him.

He looks a little confused, but continues toward the door. "Oh, sure," he says.

When we get to the door, Nathalie has already let Ladybug inside. "Ladybug!" Adrien calls out, jogging down the stairs to meet her. "I'm so glad you made it." Taking her hand, he beams an almost perfect model's smile at her - a tad too sloppy for my taste.

Ladybug's cheeks are rosy as she smiles back at him, "I'm sorry Cat Noir couldn't make it. He was feeling a bit under the weather."

Adrien chuckles - also too sloppily for my taste - "Don't worry," he assures her, pulling her hand up to his face to kiss it. "Keep it a secret, but you're my favorite, anyway." He winks at her and I furrow my brow. Adrien doesn't turn up the charm like this often.

The rosiness of her cheeks moves closer to a crimson as she smiles at him, "I'm really good at keeping secrets!" She blurts it out ungracefully. I should have expected her weakness to be handsome teenage boys, of which my son is the most appealing. Maybe I can use this to my advantage.

Clearing my throat, I interrupt their awkward dialogue, "Why don't we head to the banquet hall?" With a smile, I gesture up the stairs.

Adrien escorts her up and I follow behind, trying to brew a plan that puts my son's bug catching skills to use.

~Tikki~

The two of them have been chatting the whole banquet and Marinette is finally starting to get more comfortable. 'You can do it!' I think, trying to send her some confidence.

I watch as Marinette leans closer to Adrien, beaming, "I can't believe you know so much about all the missions I've been on. The way you talk about them, it sounds like you were there."

Adrien chuckles and rubs the back of his head, "I just keep up with the Ladyblog is all. My friend runs it. You're amazing, Ladybug."

She blushes a bit, playing with her fork. "It's not all me," she informs him. "I couldn't do it without Cat Noir."

"Hey," Adrien starts, tilting his head closer to hers. "I was actually wondering about that. Are you two, like, a thing?"

"Huh?!" Marinette squeaks, dropping the fork. "Oh, uh, no! No, we're just partners in crime! I mean, crime fighting partners!" She laughs, awkwardly.

Adrien chuckles, placing his hand on her forearm. "Don't worry, I'm not asking for a tabloid. I would just feel bad being so close to a taken girl, is all."

Marinette looks up at him and nods. "Me and Cat Noir aren't dating. I really care about him, but not in that way."

He smiles at her, resting his head in his hand, "A superhero as cute as you must have a lot of boys lining up to try and get her attention, right?"

"Not really," Marinette admits. "At least not many that have done anything about it. I guess I could have a few secret admirers I don't know about…" She ponders the thought before continuing, "But I'm sure you have way more admirers than me. You're a model."

Shrugging, he says, "I think I'd rather have people interested in me for doing something more than taking good pictures."

"Adrien-" Ladybug blurts out. "You do so much more than take good pictures." She holds onto his hand, looking him in the eyes. "Adrien, I've only gotten to talk to you a few times, but it's clear to me even in such brief encounters that you are a kind and genuine person. Any girl who doesn't see that is crazy." He blinks at her as she goes on, "There is something really, really special about you. I can see it."

Smiling at her, he stands up, tugging on her hand. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"O-okay…" Marinette says with a bashful smile.

"Father, do you mind if we step out for a bit?" Adrien asks Mr. Agreste.

He smiles at his son, "Not at all, Adrien." Adrien's bodyguard moves in to escort them when Mr. Agreste adds, "They can go alone. I'm sure Ladybug could protect him from any harm."

"I'll protect him with my life, sir," Marinette says dutifully before Adrien guides her out the door by her hand.

"I'm really glad you came, Ladybug," he tells her when they get outside.

She smiles down at their hands before looking back up at him. "Me too… I loved talking with you, Adrien."

Adrien flashes his thousand watt smile at her, "Then why don't we do it again sometime?"

"Like…" she hesitates, "Just the two of us?"

"Yeah," he confirms, squeezing her hand. "Just us. I feel like we understand each other."

"I do, too," she agrees, stepping closer to him. "I don't want you to have to feel so alone."

"Let's have dinner tomorrow," he offers, stepping close enough their shoulders are touching. "Will you meet me?"

Ladybug starts nodding before her face falls into concern. "Wait-... Adrien, I can't." She takes a step away from him, unlinking their fingers. "I'm sorry, I want to, I do, but it's dangerous. It's dangerous for me to hang out with you. I mean, what if people start getting ideas? What if they start harassing you more than they already do? And I would feel so terrible if I did that to you." Shaking her head, she takes another step back. "It's not so easy for Ladybug to be friends with someone, to go out to dinner with someone. I'm sorry."

Adrien puts his hands in his pockets. "My room has a setting to tint the windows, so nobody can see inside. Going out to dinner would be a hassle for both of us. Why not stay at home?" Smiling at her, he adds, "It'll be our little secret."

"You think we could pull that off?" she asks him, hesitantly.

"You're Ladybug," he reassures her. "Sneaking into a house unseen will be a piece of cake for you."

A smile spreads across her face as she contemplates the offer. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. For now, though, I should probably get going."

"See you later, Ladybug," he sends her off with a wave.

Waving back, she starts walking away, "And just so you know, I don't want you to have to feel alone either, Adrien, because you aren't. I'm sure your friends really care about you." With that, she springs off.

~Gabriel~

I can't help laughing to myself at how easy this all is. "Akuma, that's enough spying, you can return to me." After seeing my son and Ladybug's little exchange, I have all the time in the world to come up with a way to capture her and steal her miraculous. She's going to be under my roof for as long as Adrien continues to keep her interest, which is something I know he'll be good at.

As I walk back into my mansion, back to Gabriel Agreste, I notice Adrien on his way to his room, grinning ear to ear. "Adrien?" I ask.

His grin falters a moment as he turns to me, "Oh, Ladybug said she had to be on her way, father. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Don't fret about that," I tell him. "It seemed you two made fast friends."

His smile grows back to its original splendor. "Yeah, I think so, too," he replies. "She's a really cool person."

"I hope you get to know her even better, then," I encourage him. "Next time, we'll be sure to have the pair of them over."

"Mhm," he hums, continuing to walk down the hall. "Thanks again for letting me invite them for the banquet."

"Of course, son."

~Marinette~

Flopping onto my bed, I stare at the ceiling, recalling the night's events. I rest my forearm over my eyes, too dazed to even stare at a ceiling. "Marinette?" Tikki chimes, "Are you okay?"

"No…" I sigh, sitting up to look at her. "I feel terrible."

"Did you eat too much?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.

I smile at her, "No, that's not it, but I probably did."

"Did Adrien put butterflies in your stomach?"

Shaking my head, I say, "That's not it, either, but he _definitely_ did." I smile at the thought of all that Adrien did tonight. He touched me. He held my hand for multiple minutes. He said he wanted to spend time with me. He's amazing.

My daydreaming is cut off by Tikki asking, "Then what could possibly be wrong?"

Biting my lip, I say, "I just don't know how I feel about all of this. Do you think it's a bad idea to spend time with a civilian as Ladybug?"

"As long as you're careful not to say anything you would only know as Marinette, you'll be fine." Tikki smiles at me encouragingly and it helps to ease the discomfort in my chest a bit.

"But what about Cat Noir?" I ask.

"What about him?" Tikki says.

"I keep telling him that we can't hang out because it's dangerous and yet here I am hanging out with someone who should be practically a stranger to Ladybug." Groaning, I flop back onto the bed, "What if he finds out?" Chewing on my lip, I add, "What if he doesn't and I have to keep it a secret from him? He hates secrets. I'm keeping so many secrets from him, Tikki, I can't keep another."

"But you told Adrien you were good at keeping secrets," she reminds me.

"That's cause I was nervous!" I retort. Standing, I say, "Tikki, spots on."

"Huh?" she wonders before simply granting my request.

"I have to tell him," I say, pulling out my Yo-Yo to call Cat Noir. But what exactly am I going to tell him?

"Hello?" Cat Noir says, right as I was about to stop the call. He's looking through the screen with curious green eyes. "Call to say how much you miss me?"

His smile is confident as I stare into the screen, drawing a blank. "Um… I was just wondering if you were feeling any better."

"Yeah, I'm feeling fit as a fiddle," he reassures me, flexing his muscles. "Why? Want to come hang out with me?"

Smiling, I say, "Not right now. Thanks for the update. Tell Plagg he owes the Agreste family for keeping you from their generous offer of a banquet."

He salutes me and confirms, "Will do, m'lady."

With that I hang up and lay back down on the bed. "Spots off, Tikki." Laying there, I smile at the ceiling. "I have a crazy idea…"

"What's that?" Tikki asks, laying beside my head on the pillow.

Yawning, I go, "I'll tell you when I work out all the details…" Rolling over, I pull my blanket over myself, thinking about Adrien.


	2. Chapter 2

~Marinette~

"What should I wear? What should I say? Should I bring flashcards? Do I need to whiten my teeth? Should I bring mints?" A squeak leaves my throat, "What if he tries to kiss me?!"

"Wear what feels comfortable," I hear a voice say behind me. I nearly jump out of my skin as I turn to see Luka. "Say what comes naturally. I don't think you need flashcards, but make some if it'll boost your confidence." Leaning toward me, he looks at my mouth, saying, "Your teeth look white enough to me, your breath always smells good, and if he tries to kiss you… Well, you have to decide if you want him to and act accordingly."

I'm mortified. "L-Luka-?! I, um-..."

He smiles nonchalantly at me, "What guy are you talking about, anyway?"

"No one!" I shout, drawing a couple head turns our way. Awkwardly laughing, I quiet my voice. "I was actually practicing for a play, you see… Yeah, a play about a girl who is freaking out over a date she has, you know?"

"Sounds like a good play," he says. "Can I come watch?"

"Well, it's actually really far," I try explaining, "And I'm not exactly _cast_ in it yet. I was just rehearsing to audition, that's all." My smile is so big it's hurting my cheeks.

"I see," he nods. "Break a leg, then, Marinette." With that he smiles, waves, and keeps walking down the hallway.

I sigh in relief. "That was close…"

Tikki whispers to me, "You need to be more careful, Marinette."

"I know…" I whisper back, going to my locker. "It's just so nerve-wracking not being able to talk to Alya about this."

"Maybe you could try talking to her as if for a friend?" Tikki suggests.

Biting my lip, I ask, "Wouldn't that be super obvious?"

"Why wouldn't you ask for a friend? Maybe they're shy. Or they only trusted you to know, but you need some advice on giving them advice."

"I guess…" I say, walking to my classroom.

As I sit down, Alya smiles and says, "Hey, girl, what's up?"

"I had a long night," I tell her, opening my textbook. With a smile, I hesitate, "Can I ask you for some advice on something?"

Glancing into my purse, Tikki nods encouragingly as Alya says, "Of course. What do you need?"

Taking a deep breath, I disclaim, "This is actually for a friend of mine. I've been trying to come up with something helpful to say to them, but my mind keeps drawing a blank. And since you and Nino are so happy, I thought maybe you would be a good person to ask."

"Me and Nino?" Alya ponders this for a second. "Oh, so you need some relationship advice. For your friend, of course," she clarifies.

I nod, frantically.

"Well, what's the situation?"

"Okay," I begin, "Basically, she's going on a date- Or, actually, it wasn't specified as a date, but she thinks it might be a date; and she's really nervous and doesn't know what to do!"

I'm squeezing my backpack so hard, I can feel my lunchbox creaking under the pressure. Easing up a bit, I finally exhale, while Alya thinks with her finger on her chin. "I see," she says. "Well, I would say that she should be confident. If it wasn't specified as a date, then there's no need to jump the gun and get all worked up about it."

"Mhm," I nod, soaking it in.

"Buuuut," she draws out, "that doesn't mean she can't get her flirt on a bit. Maybe try touching him more than a friend would, as long as he seems okay with it, of course. And hopefully next time, it will be specified as a date."

"Actually, um, she told me that he held her hand for a while before inviting her on the non-specified date," I chime in.

Alya's eyebrows raise up, "Really? Well, then I'm gonna guess the non-specified date really is a date, unspecified as it may be." Smiling, she punches my shoulder softly, "Good for her!"

I let out a breathy giggle, brushing my bangs out of my face, "Yeah… I'm really happy for her, too."

Class is about to start when Alya nudges my side with her elbow and whispers, "Tell me how it goes later, okay?"

Nodding, I smile at her, thankful to have such a trusting friend. Tikki was right, she wasn't suspicious at all.

~Alya~

"That's right, guys, our Marinette is going on a date! She was so cute pretending to be trying to help a friend." Placing my hands on my hips, I can't help feeling proud of Marinette blossoming into a woman. I'm surprised she was too shy to tell me straight on.

Rose is jumping up and down with excitement, "I'm so happy for her! Who is she going on a date with?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Alix says, arms crossed.

"It is?" Rose asks, looking over at her.

"Well, actually..." Juleka starts to say.

Mylene's eyebrows are scrunched as she wonders, "Why wouldn't she have told all of us if she was going on a date? Maybe it really was for a friend."

"No, she was clearly too flustered for it to be a friend, trust me," I state. "Marinette is a terrible liar."

Rose squeals, "I'm so happy for Marinette! She deserves the man of her dreams! But did we ever clear up who he is…?"

Alix groans, "Marinette only has a crush on one guy, Rose. Why would she accept a date from someone else?"

"Um… guys?" Juleka tries again.

Mylene chimes in, "I don't know. Maybe she would say yes to someone else because she got flustered. Or because she wanted the practice."

Placing my hands on my hips, I wish she would just tell me herself, but I have to let her take this in her own time. That's what a good friend would do. "Marinette has a lot of integrity, though. I think she would feel bad for stringing a guy along if it wasn't - Adrien?!"

He's standing in the corner, watching us, green eyes wide. "Oh- I didn't see you there!" he calls out, trying to pull his locker door in front of him. I guess he was hiding behind it for the past few minutes.

"You were here this whole time, Adrien?" I chastise him. "That's spying."

"I wasn't spying!" he chokes out. "I was just getting my French books, that's all." Waving the textbooks in the air, he drops one, awkwardly smiling at us as he bends to pick it up. "I did hear, though, that Marinette is going on a date? That's nice."

"Huh?" Alix practically shouts, "You mean she's not going on the date with-"

Slapping her on the shoulder, I exclaim, "We don't know who she's going on the date with! We really want to know. Any ideas, Adrien?"

"Ow…" Alix mumbles as she rubs her shoulder.

Mylene adds, "I wonder if it's someone in our class?"

"Someone who should let us know if he's taking _our_ Marinette on a date," I emphasize, staring Adrien down with a smile.

He looks a bit confused. "No, I don't know who she would be going on a date with. I've never really thought about Marinette having a crush on anyone before, actually…"

"Really?" Alix says, narrowing her eyes at Adrien. "Is that so?"

"Oh!" Rose exclaims, "I get it! The boy you thought she was going out with was-"

This time, Mylene pinches Rose to get her to stop. As Rose rubs the wound, she asks, "Well, who else would she be going on a date with?"

"Guys," Juleka says, again, "Look." We all follow the line of her pointer finger toward Marinette as she's scrambling to pick up her school papers - no doubt she dropped them by running into something again. Next to her, Luka is smiling as he helps gather them up. Their hands brush and Marinette goes bright red.

"Luka?" all of us but Juleka say at the same time.

"Marinette has a crush on Luka?" Adrien asks, watching their exchange.

"Aw, I'm happy for her!" Rose says. "I'm glad she's moved on from-" Glancing around at all of us, she continues with, "That other person."

"What other person?" Adrien asks.

"You know," Alix says, "The one that's none of your business."

"Oh…" Adrien says with a slanted smile. "I guess you're right, sorry…" Clearing his throat, he starts walking away. Before he makes it too far, he turns around and says, "I know that it might be weird for me to know about it, since I'm a boy, but would you mind telling me how her date goes? She's my friend and I want to be able to be there for her if things are good or bad."

As he smiles at us, I say, "Alright, sure. I'll give you a three word summary when she tells me about it."

"Thanks, Alya," he says, waving as he walks out. "See you guys later."

We all say our goodbyes and when he's out of earshot, we turn to Juleka, "You should have said something earlier," Alix states.

Juleka just frowns and says, "Sorry."

~Adrien~

Looking through my closet, I can't seem to find the perfect outfit. I've thrown countless suits of every color invented - and then some - onto my bed, trying to find the perfect thing. Plagg burps, the smell wafting in my face. "Ugh," I groan. "Plagg, a lady is going to be over soon, can you do that somewhere else?"

"What?" he says defensively. "It's just a burp. And it even smells good."

I roll my eyes at him as I observe the mess in my room. Sighing, I press the directline call button hooked up in my room to Nathalie. "Yes, Adrien?" she asks on the other end.

"Can you send someone in to help me clean my room? I made a bit of a mess…"

"Right away," she informs me, clicking off of the line.

I sit down on my stairs, rubbing my face. "Don't you think it's weird that Marinette is going on a date with someone?" I prompt Plagg.

He pays no attention to me, munching on the wheel of cheese I tossed at him yesterday. "I wouldn't think she'd have a crush on someone… Let alone Luka." Leaning back on the stairs, I scrunch my eyebrows, "How often has she even talked to Luka?"

"Uh-oh…" Plagg sighs.

"What?" I say, looking over at him.

He hesitates before going on, "You're jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" I say a bit too enthusiastically. "Why would I be jealous?"

Plagg shrugs, "Beats me. You just seem a bit upset."

"I mean, maybe I'm a little jealous," I admit. "But not because I'm jealous they're going on a date. I just wish she told me."

"Okay," Plagg agrees, munching on his cheese contently.

"Or jealous that they get to hang out when I haven't been able to get to know Marinette as well as I'd want to…" I add. He doesn't give me any feedback, so I sigh and fidget my thumbs together. "Marinette is such a cool friend, I hadn't really thought about what I'd do if she started hanging out with some other guy more."

"She has other friends than you," Plagg informs me. "Why didn't they make you jealous?"

Shrugging, I say, "Maybe cause I'm friends with them, too?"

"Mhm," he hums, feigning belief.

"You're so supportive," I sarcastically praise him.

"No problem," he replies, burrowing his head into a hole in the cheese.

~Gabriel~

"A little closer, my Akuma," I command, "So I can hear what she's saying."

"Oh, Tikki, I know you said I look okay, but I wish you could tell me one more time..." Ladybug mutters to herself. Taking a deep breath, she says, "It's not technically a date, so I don't have to get so worked up…"

I watch her crawl through my air vent, on the way to Adrien's room, my Akuma trailing behind. "Tikki, I'm totally freaking out right now…" Ladybug whimpers.

It's funny to see Ladybug so nervous, especially in my own home.

"This one's Adrien's," she says as she crawls toward my son's air vent. Upon arrival, she kicks it open, dropping down into his dimly lit room.

"Oh, hey," he says, smiling at her from his seat on the couch. "Nice entrance."

She giggles, "Thanks."

He stands to meet her as she walks to him and taking her hand, Adrien says, "I set up a picnic for us. It's not quite as fancy as the banquet, but I hope you like it." Guiding her along, he gestures to a big, fluffy blanket with a picnic basket, pillows, rose petals, and candles atop it.

My son sets up a good date.

The pair of them sit down together as Ladybug looks at the spread in awe, "You did all of this for me? Adrien, it's perfect." She clasps both of her hands on top of the one he used to guide her, smiling at him. "Thank you."

His face looks a bit flushed as he admits, "Well, I had a bit of help getting everything… I'm really glad you like it, Ladybug."

"I love it," she corrects him. "What are we having?"

"I wanted to make the dinner," he says, "but all I know how to make is sandwiches, so I hope you like tuna." With a grin he pulls out two sandwiches.

Ladybug laughs and says, "I think you confused me with Cat Noir."

As she winks at him, Adrien chuckles, saying, "Did you just make a cat joke?"

She blushes, "Um, sorry, was that weird?"

"No, it was cute," he says. "Oh, and I did get something that fits the diet of a ladybug better." Adrien pulls a tray of chocolate covered strawberries from his basket.

Ladybug gasps, "You made those?"

He chuckles, "No, but I tried to. Those ones were inedible…"

She giggles in response. "Next time I can make the dessert. That way we'll both make part of it."

The two of them smile at each other for a moment before Adrien says, "Alright. As long as you don't mind more sandwiches."

"I could eat a hundred Adrien-sandwiches," she tells him before stumbling over her words. "I mean- That came out weirder than I expected it to…"

"Thank you," he interrupts her.

She looks up at him, biting her lip - perhaps from nerves - and then nods. "Let's dig in?" she offers.

"Yeah-" he stammers, setting one of the sandwiches on her plate. "Enjoy."

The two of them continue to make small-talk throughout the meal. Adrien offers to feed her a strawberry, which she agrees to after a moment of stuttering. They scoot closer to each other as the date continues on, Ladybug allowing her thigh to brush against his.

It feels a little intrusive to watch my son's love life, but I'm sure he'll forgive me once this is all over. After all, my plan benefits him as much as me; we could both use his mother back.

Adrien has linked his fingers with hers as he leans his shoulder against Ladybug's, "Will you come back again? I really want to keep spending time with you, Ladybug."

She stares up at him with wide eyes and nods. "Yeah, I'd like that…"

He smiles at her, leaning his face closer. "I don't want you to leave…"

"Okay…" she murmurs out, face turning more pink as the gap between them gets increasingly smaller.

Adrien closes his eyes and Ladybug slams hers shut, squeezing so tightly she might give herself a headache. Watching my son kiss my technical enemy is more than I can bare, so I press the direct intercom I have set up for his room. "Adrien?"

The two of them jump, Ladybug's hand flying to her heart as Adrien scrambles to his feet. When he gets to the intercom, he asks in a hurried voice, "Yes, father?!"

"Are you alright?" I ask. "I was just checking on you. Apparently there's another villain on the loose at the Eiffel tower. Make sure to stay inside unless I tell you otherwise."

He lets out a shaky breath, "Of course, dad… Thanks for telling me."

"That's all, son," I state, disconnecting the intercom. That should take care of Ladybug for now.

She stands up, straightening out her bangs. "I have to go handle that," she tells him. "I'll see you later, Adrien."

They smile at each other and he says, "Good luck out there."

"Thanks," she replies, taking a moment to admire him before she jumps back into the air vent.

"Akuma, return," I command. There's no reason to spy on my son if he isn't with Ladybug.

~Marinette~

At the top of the Eiffel tower I still don't see anything. "I guess it was a false alarm?" I say to Tikki. "It could have been some kid's prank to call the news and say that there's another akumatized villain running around."

Sighing, I'm about to go home when Cat Noir flings himself beside me, crouched in his signature feline position, "I came as soon as I heard," he informs me.

"Too late," I chime, "I've already defeated them."

"Really?" he says, cocking his head to the side. "But it's hardly been five minutes."

"No," I admit, "it was a false alarm."

"Ah, that makes more sense." Standing to his feet, he smiles at me, "What should we do now, then? Want to go get some ice cream?"

"Actually…" I start to say. "I had an idea."

I can feel Tikki's nerves. I'd never actually told her my idea from last night, since I hadn't worked out all the details, but Cat Noir is right here, so I might as well say it now. Cat Noir is staring at me with wide, green eyes, "Are you saying yes to me?"

"Not exactly," I explain. His face drops and I quickly add, "But I'm not saying no, either."

He blinks at me, "Then what are you saying?"

Taking a deep breath, I begin, "Okay, so I was thinking, and I do want to spend more time with you, Cat Noir. Not as anything more than friends, because I still have feelings for somebody else, but I don't think it's fair to never hang out with you. We are a team, after all. Who knows, it might even help us work better together."

He's staring at me, while I take another big breath to go on, "And I still think it's dangerous for us to be hanging out in costume, so I came up with an idea. It's kind of stupid and dangerous in a lot of different ways, but if we can pull it off, then I don't think it would really be a problem. So the idea I came up with is that we wear disguises to hang out."

A pause rings out. "Disguises?" he finally asks.

"Yeah," I say. "When we're our ordinary selves we can just wear different masks or face paint or something that will make us totally unrecognizable. Then we would be able to hang out without knowing who each other is."

Another pause rings out as I chew on my bottom lip nervously. This was a terrible idea. Why would I even think of something so stupid? I just felt so bad about what Adrien said. It's true, being Miraculous Ladybug is lonely, so I can't imagine how lonely it must be for Cat Noir. He deserves someone to talk to and nobody else can do it the way that I could, as someone who really gets what he's going through.

"Okay," he responds.

"Really?" I gawk at him. "You don't think it's a bad idea?"

Cat Noir is quick to defend my idea, "I don't think it would be that risky. We just have to pick smart disguises."

"We just have to make sure that nothing happens," I try to encourage myself. "We can do something Friday so we have a enough time to come up with a disguise."

"You're on," he tells me, grinning excitedly.

I frown, "But I'm serious, okay? This is just as friends."

Cat Noir pats the top of my head, "Don't even worry about that, anymore. There's a certain girl I've been making my moves on recently who actually seems to want them." He chuckles smugly to himself while I stare in shock.

"There's what-?" I stammer out.

"Yeah, she's pretty epic," he tells me, crossing his arms behind his head. "Pretty and epic, actually."

A heat climbs into my face as I clench my fists, "More epic than me-?! I mean-... I'm sure she's great!"

He balances on the edge of the tower, tip toeing along with a big goofy grin on his face. "Oh yeah, she is. She even makes cat jokes."

"Cat jokes?" I say in disgust. Crossing my arms, I huff, looking away from him. "Then I guess she's _purr-fect_ for you."

He laughs, coming over to tilt my chin up. "Are you jealous bug-a-boo?"

I feel my cheeks flush. "No!" I practically scream. "Why would I be jealous?"

"Because you don't have your cat admirer anymore." He tugs on my hips, pulling me closer to him and I gasp from the sudden movement.

"I'm not jealous…" I mutter. "And I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate you hitting on me right now."

He chuckles, "I'm just a naturally flirtatious guy, what can I say?" Cat Noir winks, and says, "She thinks it's hot."

I shove him away, trying to get some composure. "I'll see you Friday. We can do the ice cream thingy at five."

"I will see you, then, m'lady." He bows and I can't resist the temptation, so I kick him off the side of the tower. Leaning over the edge, I see he's used his staff to catch himself; I make my exit before he can notice me looking for him.

"That wasn't very nice," Tikki chastises me when we get home.

"Well, it wasn't very nice of him to rub his love life in my face," I retort.

"Marinette…" Tikki says, "Shouldn't you be happy for him? Isn't it better than him pining after you when you're in love with Adrien?"

"Yeah, but…" I whimper, swinging onto my balcony. "Spots off," I say, on my way into my room. "I just feel less…" It's hard to place the word, "Desirable." Flopping on the bed, squeezing my pillow to my chest, I mutter, "I thought he was going to like me forever."

I groan, facefirst into the pillow, "I know I should be happy for him, Tikki, but I can't be. This is so confusing…"

Tikki strokes my hair with her tiny hands and coos, "There, there, Marinette. I'm sure it'll all work out."

"Thanks, Tikki…"


	3. Chapter 3

~Alya~

I tap the edge of my desk, waiting for Marinette to come into the classroom. When she finally does, running - literally - a bit late, she pants on her way to her seat, "Goodmorning, Alya…!"

Smiling at her, I ask, "How was your date?"

Her face melts into something soft and squishy as she says, "It was amazing…"

"What did you two do together?" I quiz, innocently.

She rests her chin in her hands, daydreaming about the night's events. "We had a picnic with sandwiches, and chocolate covered strawberries, and flower petals, and candles, it was so romantic…"

"And did you get your flirt on?" I prompt.

"Mhm…" she blushes. "At least, I tried to. We were so close… And I think he was going to kiss me…"

Scrunching my eyebrows, I question, "What stopped him?"

"There was an interruption," she says with a sigh. "He was so cute when he was surprised." Marinette giggles at the memory.

Patting her back, I chime, "Good for you, Marinette! I'm glad you had a nice date."

"Me too…" she coos before finally realizing her mistake. Looking over at me in panic, she exclaims, "I mean, I'm so happy my friend had a nice date!"

"Cut the act," I say with a chuckle. "There's no way I'm believing your _friend_ was the one who went on that date with how you just described it."

With her brow furrowed, she groans, "Alya… That's not fair, you tricked me."

"Now I just got to trick you into telling me who you went on your date with," I tease, elbowing her side. "Was it Adrien?"

She blushes, looking down at her hands, "I-... I can't tell you."

Frowning, I wonder if she really did go on a date with Luka. Is she embarrassed to have gotten over Adrien after being infatuated with him so long? Placing my hand on her shoulder, I reassure her, "Don't worry, you don't have to tell me." She smiles at me and I go on, "But I might be more help if I knew who he was, so only keep it a secret if you really need to, okay?" I squeeze her hand supportively, "Even if your date was with Chloe I would cheer you on, as long as you were happy. We're all here for you, mystery identities aside."

Marinette smiles at me and squeezes my hand back, "I want to tell you, Alya, and if a time comes when I can, you'll be the first person I let know. For now, though, I really do have to keep it a secret."

"Then by all means, girl, tell me about mystery man with all the vague, juicy details!"

She laughs, "I'll tell you everything that happened at lunch."

~Adrien~

Walking through the hall, I notice Marinette looking off into the distance as she's on her way to the next class. I also notice a puddle of water directly in her path. Rushing over, I grab her by the backpack right before she's about to slip.

She lets out a, "Woah!" as she tips and falls into my chest.

Chuckling, I place my hands over her eyes, "Guess who?"

It only takes her a second to squeak, "Adrien?"

"How did you guess?" I wonder at her, uncovering her eyes and helping her get her balance back by holding her hand.

"Oh, um-" she stammers out, "Lucky guess!" She laughs, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"Is it my voice?" I ask, leaning closer to her. "Maybe you know my scent? Is it cause you associate me with good things, Marionette?" I tease, booping her nose.

Her face seems to blossom into red, starting exactly at the spot I touched and spreading through her cheeks. "W-why would you say that?!" she exclaims.

Smiling at her, I decide to take mercy, "I was just kidding. I bet anyone would guess me with how much my voice and fragrance are circulating around in the cologne campaign."

"Yeah!" she nods. "You're right, I bet that's what it was! Well, I have to go to class-..." she says, shuffling off.

Grabbing her hand, I remind her, "Watch out for the puddle."

She glances down at the wet floor and nods again, "Thanks, Adrien…" With that, she waits a moment before releasing my hand to go to class.

"What was that?" Nino surprises me.

Turning my head in his direction, I blink away the shock he gave me. "I didn't know you were there-" I say.

His hands are in his pockets as he drawls out, "It seems like you usually tease Marinette more than the other girls."

"What do you mean?" I ask, walking to class with him. "I'm not teasing her."

"Dude, you were definitely teasing her. 'Oh, Marinette, you must know it's me because you've memorized my manly scent~!'"

"Th-that was a terrible impression of me!" I exclaim. "Besides… I don't know. Marinette is just fun to… _tease_, if that's how you want to put it. I'm not being mean to her, am I?"

He shakes his head, "It's not malicious, just unusual. You don't treat anybody else like that." Nino notices Alya walking and says, "I'm gonna go talk to Alya before next class. I'll see you later." He smiles and waves, walking toward Alya.

Maybe he's right. I guess I'm not usually like that with other people, but it just sort of happens when I'm with Marinette. Come to think of it, that's how I treat Ladybug as Cat Noir.

~Marinette~

Holding my head, I panic, "Tikki, what am I going to do?! Me and Adrien never came up with another time to meet!"

"Calm down, Marinette," Tikki coos to me. "I have an idea."

Hiding behind a bush, we watch as Nathalie collects our package from the Agreste front gate. As she takes it inside, I try to imagine her walking up the stairs, knocking on Adrien's bedroom. Maybe it takes him a moment to answer because he was practicing his piano, and then when he opens the door, she hands it to him, saying, 'A package for you. Would you like me to check that the contents are safe?'

'No, that's alright,' Adrien would say, smiling at her. When she leaves, he'll open the package, reading my note: _Tonight at 7? Dim your windows for yes._

I'd been imagining this with my eyes glued shut, so I finally open them to gaze at Adrien's windows. They're clear as day. "I guess he can't do it," I tell Tikki, disappointed.

"Seven won't be for a long time," Tikki says. "We can check again later."

"Yeah, you're right," I agree, beginning to walk away. Glancing back, I notice his window start to dim. Jumping up and down, I squeal, "Yes! Yes, Tikki, your plan worked perfectly!"

Tikki giggles along with me as we victory dance in front of his house. After a moment, I'm composed enough to hurry home and get ready. I'm going to make Adrien the best macarons he's ever tasted.

When I get home, I gather up all the ingredients I'll need and equip my apron. Right as I'm about to begin, a customer walks through the door. I turn my head toward the jingle of our greeting bell, "Welcome-" I begin before realizing that Adrien has walked through the door.

He smiles at me, "Hey, Marinette! Are you working the store right now?"

"Yeah," I say, trying to find somewhere to put my hands. I settle on shoving them into the pockets of my apron. "I told my parents that I'd cover for a while, since I was about to start baking something."

Adrien leans on the counter, "Need any help? I'm not a great baker, but I'll do whatever you ask me to."

His smile makes me want to beg him to be my assistant, but knowing that he couldn't even make chocolate covered strawberries, I certainly don't trust him with macarons. "That's okay," I say, holding my finger up in front of my lips. "The recipe is a family secret, anyway." I wink to try and sell my story.

Adrien chuckles, leaning closer in, "Maybe someday I'll make it to family status and you can share it with me."

I blink at him, "Huh?" Suddenly it hits me that we would be family if we got married, but that obviously isn't what he's suggesting?! "What?!"

He laughs, "You know, like honorary family? Some friends are as good as family, right?"

"Oh…" I say. "That makes sense… Alya is like that with me." Smiling, I begin to measure out my ingredients. "I wouldn't want to keep anything from Alya. Even a family recipe." Still, I'm stuck keeping so many things from her, but I only said I wouldn't _want_ to.

When I look back up at Adrien, he's watching me with a soft smile. I stare at him, those green eyes mulling me over with a gentleness I could drown in. "You're spilling flour on yourself," he warns me, smiling a bit bigger.

"Oh-!" I exclaim, wiping the powder off of my apron. Laughing, I say, "Good thing I was wearing protection, huh?

When I look back to him, he's holding his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. "What?" I ask.

He points to my forehead, "You got some in your hair."

Running my hand through my bangs, sure enough, white powder rains down in front of my eyes. I close them to keep them shielded, but something brushing my cheek frightens them open. Adrien has one hand holding my arm, while the other flicks flour off of my cheeks. "There," he says with a satisfied smile. "All cleaned up."

That smile of his right in front of me is too tempting. Last time I saw that smile his eyes closed as he leaned closer to me. I shift onto my tiptoes, subconsciously drawn toward that glorious smile of his when he pats the top of my head. "Oh, wait, just a little bit more," he chuckles.

The puff of flour itches my nose and I sneeze in his face. Normally, I'd be mortified, but the abstract pattern of powder it's left on him makes me laugh. "I'm so sorry!" I say between giggling fits. "I'll clean you up in a minute-!"

He laughs, too, "You did that on purpose, didn't you, Marinette?"

Holding my sides, I can't seem to compose myself. Shaking my head, I try to recover, "No! I swear! It was an accident!"

When I catch a glimpse of Adrien's face he seems terribly serious as he says, "Typically, I would have my lawyer deal with this, but today I'll take care of my own justice." My laughing finally dies down as he cusps my cheek, pressing his thumb to one of my eyebrows and then the other. He smiles smugly at his creation. "Flour-brows," he calls them.

Glancing in the mirror, I see two shaggy white eyebrows painted over my blue-black ones. It's enough to cause me to burst out laughing again. "Adrien!" I say, dipping my fingers in flour and grabbing his shirt collar with my clean hand. With a couple flickers of my fingers, I smile at him and state, "Flour-stache."

He peers into the mirror and laughs at his new, white, curled moustache. "Are we playing a flour battle to the death?" he taunts me.

Giggling, I shake my head, "Nope, cause I already won."

He stares me down before going for the flour again, but my Ladybug reflexes are fast enough to grab his hands. "It won't be that easy to beat me," I tease him.

A silence falls over us before he reacts, trying to startle me out of my firm grip. When that doesn't work, he steps into me, hoping I'll let go to move away from him. Instead, we just end up with our chests smooshed together, sandwiching our hands. "Okay, okay, I surrender," he admits, loosening his grip on me.

My eyes narrow and I challenge, "I don't trust you."

He smiles at me, "You don't trust me, Marinette?"

With a smile like that, I'd trust him if he was holding a knife to my throat. Nodding, I reply, "I trust you."

He blinks at me before softening back into that smile he used on me earlier. The one that fills my heart with something warm and sweet like hot chocolate. This time, I might actually kiss him. Even though I'm not the Ladybug that he wants, he's the same Adrien I remember wanting me and my body can't handle these mixed signals I'm giving it.

"Adrien?" I hesitate. "Did you come to pick up some baked goods…?"

He blinks at me before saying, "Oh, yeah, I wanted some bread and you guys sell the best in town."

As I let go of his hands, Adrien steps away from me, leaning on the countertop. "Well," I say, wiping my floury hands on my apron. "What kind of bread did you want? A baguette?"

He lets out a pensive, 'hmmm.' "Something you can make a great sandwich out of."

I blush, realizing that he's here to get ready for his date with Ladybug. "You know, Adrien, I like to make sandwiches out of croissants, actually."

"Really?" he asks. "That sounds pretty good." He smiles at me, "I'll take some croissants, then."

"Coming right up," I sing to a chipper tune. Opening the display case, I grab two croissants for him and place them in a bag. "Will that be all?"

He peruses the menagerie of desserts before deciding, "Yeah, that'll be it. Thanks, Marinette."

"Anytime," I say with a wave. Smiling after him, I realize that I need to hurry if I want to have time to shower before our date.

~Adrien~

Ladybug and I sit under the sky of stars I have projected on my ceiling. "I want to know more about you," I say softly, cheek pressed against her hair.

"What do you want to know?" she asks.

"How you made those macarons... They were heavenly." I can't help moaning at the thought of how good they are.

She giggles, holding a strawberry macaron to my mouth. As I take a bite, she says, "Well, flour and sugar and egg whites were part of it."

I slip my hand into hers, linking our fingers together, "Do you like to bake often?"

Ladybug snuggles closer to me and whispers, "I can't say…"

Glancing down at her, I ask, "Why not?"

She shakes her head no, so I move on and ask, "Well, what other things do you like to do?"

Her eyebrows scrunch as she looks away from me, "Adrien… I can't tell you."

I watch her for a moment, confused by this whole thing. "I don't understand."

"If I tell you too much about myself, you might be able to figure out who I am," she informs me.

"Wait," I say, scooting myself onto my elbows. "Does that mean you know me outside of your suit?"

"Adrien," she insists, "I can't say."

"I just-..." Swallowing, I say, "I want to know if you liked me before the banquet."

She chews on her lip, hard enough I'm worried she'll rub it raw. "I've liked you since the first words you said to me, Adrien… I can't tell you if that was as Ladybug or someone else, though." Smiling, Ladybug strokes my cheek, "But I think it would have been the same no matter if I was wearing a mask or not."

Laying back down, Ladybug moves her hand to my chest, blushing from the tip of her nose outward. "I'm glad you invited me to that banquet…" she coos.

As I stare at her, I impulsively ask, "Will you be my girlfriend?" It sounds so abrupt out of my mouth, I try to pad it out, "I want to be with you, Ladybug. Even if I'm not going to be able to rescue you like you rescue the rest of us… I want to be someone that takes care of you."

She nods, "Adrien…" Her eyelids flutter closed as she leans closer to me, giving the clearest invitation to kiss her I could ask for. Cusping her cheek, I lean in when a crash sounds from inside my closet. What do I even have in there that Plagg could manage to break?

"Sorry-" I regret to admit, sitting up. "Let me see what that was." As I go into my closet, I whisper shout, "Plagg!" All of my shoes - and there's _a lot_ of them - have been knocked off of the shelf. "What did you do?"

He grunts, head stuffed into the cheese wheel. When I pluck him out of it, he gasps for air, saying, "I got stuck in there! It's hard to steer cheese when you're blinded."

I grimace at him, letting his tail go. "Just try to keep it down, Plagg. If Ladybug sees you, we're done for."

He grunts in agreement, sticking his head back in the cheese as I exit the closet. "I guess I just had too many things on a shelf," I explain before noticing she's standing by my vent.

Ladybug looks at me apologetically, "I'm sorry, Adrien. I have to go."

"Yeah," I say, smiling at her, "I understand. I'll see you tomorrow?"

A smile grows on her face as she nods, "Yeah. Same time." With that, she hops back into the air vent and makes her escape.

I sit back down on the couch with a sigh. "Plagg?" I call to my closet.

He comes rolling out, cheese wheel and all, mumbling something that sounds like, "Hmm?"

"Do you think I treat Marinette more like Ladybug than I treat Ladybug?"

Popping his head back out of the cheese, he groans, "We're still talking about Marinette? 'Was she making that dessert for Luka, Plagg?' 'Alya said the date went well, so are they going on a second one, Plagg?' 'She still seems to like talking to me, Plagg, so I definitely have no reason to be jealous.' 'I'm not jealous, Plagg!'"

I frown at him, "Why is everyone impersonating me today?"

"Because you're being extra impressionable, I don't know," he tells me, taking a bite out of the cheese.

"Can you just answer my question?" I insist.

He looks over at me, "What was the question again?"

"Do I treat Marinette more like Ladybug than I treat Ladybug?"

"That doesn't make any sense," he informs me.

"I know, I know," I say. "But as Adrien, who do I treat more like I treat Ladybug as Cat Noir?"

"Beats me," Plagg admits.

Sighing, I say, "If I fell in love with her as Cat Noir, shouldn't I treat her the way I do as Cat Noir?"

With his cheeks full, he responds, "But she doesn't like Cat Noir, she likes Adrien."

Biting the inside of my cheek, I admit, "And Adrien doesn't treat her like Cat Noir does."

"I don't see what the problem is," Plagg ponders. "You wanted to be with Ladybug, you're with Ladybug. Be happy."

"I am happy," I tell him. "I've wanted this for so long, Plagg. She likes me." Smiling, I continue, "She actually likes me."

Standing up, I command, "Claws out."

"What do you need claws out for?" he asks, wiping cheese off his face and into his mouth.

"I just want some fresh air," I inform him.

~Marinette~

"You did the right thing," Tikki assures me. "Your parents would have been worried if you hadn't gone home."

"Yeah," I admit. "And this way I'm able to go see Alya before she falls asleep."

We smile at each other, "I'm so happy for you, Marinette."

"Me too," I reply, skipping along to Alya's.

Suddenly, I hear something rushing through the air. Turning, I prepare to suit up, "Do you think it's a new villain?"

Before Tikki can respond, Cat Noir faceplants in a bed of grass beside me. He groans as he shifts onto all fours, "Ouch…"

Running over to him, I pull him up, "Are you alright?!"

He glances at me, blinking in recognition, "Marinette?"

Staring at him, my mouth goes dry. He knows me? Cat Noir knows me out of costume? That narrows down the options by a significant amount. And if his hair and eye color don't change the same way mine don't, then that narrows it down to the blond haired, green eyed boys at my school-?!

Cat Noir interrupts my thoughts with, "We talked about me and Ladybug that one time, right?"

"Oh…" I say. "Yeah, I remember that." False alarm… He could still be anyone in Paris.

Cat Noir smiles at me and grabs my waist, "Wanna do something fun?"

"Huh?" I respond in a daze. He wasn't kidding when he said he's a natural flirt.

His smile flashes at me, "Come on, I won't let anything happen to you."

"I just watched you wipe out," I remind him.

He laughs, "Yeah, but that's cause I was being dumb. I wouldn't do anything dumb when I'm taking care of a cute girl."

Rolling my eyes, I say, "I've seen you do plenty of stupid things around Ladybug on the Ladyblog."

Cat Noir chuckles, "Then I guess you're special."

I blush, even though this whole thing is confusing. Cat Noir has been making moves on some schoolgirl and nobody is making moves on me, so obviously I'm _not_ the same girl. He's just flirting with me for fun… And he also accidentally insulted me as Ladybug in the process. My blush persists despite my protests.

"Please?" he begs.

"I-..." Looking in the direction of Alya's house, I guess she can wait a few minutes. "Alright."

Cat Noir wraps his arm around me and uses his staff as a pole vault to fling us onto a roof. My instincts are to use my Yo-Yo and catch myself, but right now the only thing keeping me from being splashed flat as a pancake is Cat Noir, so I wrap myself around him like a Koala to a tree.

He chuckles when we land and keeps holding me up, "You okay?"

"Yeah," I say. "It's just hard not being the one steering."

"You want to steer me?" he asks, twirling his staff in his hand. "Should I close my eyes and just listen to your directions, then?"

I watch his hand move over his eyes as he steps closer to the edge of the roof. "Sit, kitty!" I shout at him.

He flops onto his butt and peaks from under his hand at me, "Is that all?"

"Yes," I say. "Sit and stay."

Cat Noir smiles at me for a moment before I crawl out of his lap to sit next to him. "Can I ask you a question?" he prompts me.

"Sure," I say.

He chews the inside of his cheek for a second, trying to get the right phrasing, "What do you think it important in a relationship?"

I blink at him, "You mean, qualities like trust?"

He nods and I can't help feeling guilty. Cat Noir, Alya, my family, they all trust me and I've kept so many secrets from them. I've lied to all of them on multiple occasions to keep those secrets.

"I mean, love?" I offer him.

He smiles at me, "Well, I'd hope you'd love someone if you were in a relationship with them."

"Yeah," I agree. "I do think trust is important. But sometimes you have to trust someone to know when it's wise not to share everything about themselves. Does that make sense?"

Looking into the distance, he says, "Yeah, it does, in my head. When I think about it with my heart, though, I want to find someone I can share everything about myself with and wants to do that back. I want someone that makes me feel like I'm always getting all of them. Or at least like I'm always getting the person they want to be. I want to see them be more themself around me than anyone else."

The smile on his face looks sad as he goes on, "You seem like a good person, Marinette. Have you found someone you want to be with like that?"

I nod at him, "Yeah, I have."

"How is it going?" he asks me with an earnest expression.

Looking up at him, I touch his face, "Are you okay, Cat Noir?"

"Huh?" he says, smiling the cocky smile I'm used to. "I'm practically nose to nose with a cute, famous, fashion designer. How could I not be okay?"

Now that he's mentioned it, our noses are almost touching. Blushing, I stammer out, "D-don't you have a crush on Ladybug?"

He chuckles, "Where were you headed before I swept you away, princess?"

"My friend Alya's house," I inform him dutifully.

As he stands, he says, "Let me give you a lift," and picks me up.

"Her house is right down there," I say, pointing him in the right direction.

Covering his eyes, he jumps off the roof, shouting, "Take the steering wheel!"

"What!?" I shriek, grasping onto his shoulders. "Cat Noir! Left! Left! Go left!"

We land with an eerily soft plop in front of her house and I glare at Cat Noir. "You're terrible," I inform him.

He giggles a cute boy giggle. "I was peaking the whole time, I promise." Giving me a kiss on the cheek, he pulls away, holding onto my hand. "Next time we'll do what you want to, Marinette." With that, he kisses my hand before springing off into the night.

Cat Noir is crazy. My concern is too strong to be drowned out by the panic he caused me, though. Something seemed to be troubling him. I take a deep breath and knock on Alya's door, which she opens in three seconds flat.

"Woah, girl, did you run here? Your hair looks like a leaf blower hit it and your face is flushed." Great, I looked like a mess the whole time Cat Noir was smooth talking me.

"That's not important-" I say, trying to fix my hair by running my fingers through it.

"You're right," Alya agrees. "Tell me everything about your date."

Sighing happily, I chime, "It was wonderful…" Thinking about what Cat Noir said, I can't help feeling a bit odd about things. "I do have one question, though," I begin.

"Go ahead," Alya prompts, leading us to her room. "Ask the love doctor."

"Do you think it's normal for him to treat me different on dates than, uh…" How do I twist this situation into something probable for someone with one-identity. "At school or around his friends?"

"What kind of different?" she asks, sitting on the bed. "Bad different or good different?"

"Well, when we're alone he's a lot sweeter and attentive than around other people," I explain.

Alya nods, "That sounds pretty normal. He gets all lovey-dovey when he has you in private!" She pokes my sides, laughing softly. "I'm so happy for you, Marinette."

Giggling from the poking, I try to continue explaining, "I like the way he treats me, but…" What is all of Adrien? When he's with Marinette it's so different from Ladybug, but if I think about it, that's not how he treats his other friends. The way he talks to Ladybug is closer to a more romantic version of what he does for his friends. So why does he treat me, Marinette, different from everyone else? It's not bad… I don't think he treats me like that because he dislikes me.

"I don't know," I admit. "Sometimes I think I like the way he treats me at school better." It sounds like poison coming out of my mouth. How could I say I like the Adrien I'm _not_ dating more than the Adrien I _am_ dating? I must just be crazy.

Alya fluffs my hair, "Good thing you get both, then," she says.

After about a half an hour of explaining in excruciating detail everything that happened on our date, Alya's soft snore chirps in the air. Laying down next to her, I realize why I was feeling so conflicted about Marinette's Adrien vs. Ladybug's Adrien. It's simple. I want what I can't have, so being Marinette makes me more desperate for him. As Ladybug he wants me, too, so I'm not as focused on wanting his attention.

The solution is clear.


	4. Chapter 4

~Luka~

Sitting on top of the stairwell, I can practically see the whole school from here. I try not to play my guitar too loud, in case the Principal gets upset again - it's a shame to have to tone down music.

From my perch, I notice Marinette shuffling through the halls, hugging her textbooks to her chest. Behind her, Adrien notices, too, and rushes over to say hi. Hmm, they must be pretty good friends.

He taps her shoulder as he moves in front of her, but she looks behind herself, causing her to walk right into him. Adrien chuckles and says, "Hey, Marinette."

Marinette looks up at him with an audible _squeak_ before trying to say anything, "H-hello…!" She looks more flustered than usual as she glances around the hall.

"Something wrong?" Adrien says, picking up on her off vibe. He leans against the wall, smiling at her.

Marinette's eyebrows pull together as she struggles for something to say, "No, no, I'm fine! Totally fine! I just-" She's backing away and at this rate she'll bump into someone.

Standing up, I slide down the stair railing and take her hand, "Be careful, Marinette, you might trip and fall if you aren't watching the concrete." I smile and she blushes, glancing down at our hands, squeezing mine.

She grins at Adrien, saying, "Anyway-! It was really nice talking, but we have to go!" With that, she drags me off by the hand. Unfortunately, I can't play guitar one-handed, but if she needed my help, I guess it was worth it.

When she's finally gone to a secure place, she sighs in relief, still holding my hand. "Are you hiding something from Adrien?" I ask.

She squeaks again, letting go of my hand, so I return to playing. "I'm not hiding anything!" she declares.

"Okay," I shrug, smiling at her. "But if you were, I think it would sound something like this…" I play a little melody of inner turmoil on my guitar and Marinette watches my fingers.

"Yeah…" she whispers. "I guess that is what hiding something sounds like."

I tilt my eyes back to her and ask, "Don't you like Adrien?"

"Ah-! What?! I mean, I like him as a friend, that's all!"

Chuckling, I remind her, "Want me to play how you feel about Adrien?"

"No…" she admits, looking at the ground. "How do you read people so well, Luka?"

I shrug, "Music helps me. But why are you hiding something from Adrien if you like him?"

She shuffles her feet nervously, "Well… You see, I heard he has a girlfriend." Marinette looks up at me as she explains, "And _I _want to be his girlfriend-" She blushes again, "B-but I can't be, because he already has someone else. And I'm so happy for them both, really, I am, but when I'm with Adrien… I always feel like I'm going to do something that'll give my feelings away and I don't want to jeopardize their relationship." Taking a deep breath, she finishes off with, "Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah," I nod. "But it wouldn't be much of a relationship on their part if you could break them up so easily. You might be overthinking it."

She sighs, "That's not all of it, Luka… It's just too painful being around him knowing that I don't stand a chance like this."

"Like this?" I repeat.

Gesturing to herself, she says, "Like me. I'm obviously just not the girl he wants."

"Hmmm," I hum in harmony to the chords I'm playing. "Maybe. If it counts, Marinette, you're the kind of girl that I'd want." Her face turns bright red as she gawks at me, tripping over herself as she makes her exit.

"I'll see you later, Luka?!" she exclaims, running in the other direction.

"So you and Marinette?" I hear a familiar voice say.

Turning, I see my sister and smile at her, "Me and Marinette?"

"Are you guys a couple now?" she asks, pointing in Marinette's direction.

I follow her pointer finger and say, "Didn't I tell you I'm gay?"

"What...?" Juleka says, blinking at me.

Chuckling, I strum my guitar, "I guess I've only played it for you. It seemed clear to me, but some things must need to be said in words." With that, I shrug, walking to my next class.

~Adrien~

"Marinette and Luka?" I huff, placing my backpack on my desk. "What's so great about him, huh?"

Nino cocks his head at me, "Marinette and Luka?"

My eyes widen. I hadn't realized I said that aloud. "Uh, I mean, I'm really happy for them."

"Happy for who? Marinette and Luka? They aren't together," he informs me.

"They aren't?" I ask. "But I just saw them holding hands and stuff."

He shrugs, "Well, you must have seen wrong, dude, cause Alya told me that Juleka knows they aren't together."

"Then who did she…" I wonder aloud.

Alya taps me on the shoulder and says, "I don't know. I'm a little worried about her, though. I trusted Luka to be good to her, but if I don't know the guy… it's a little nerve-wracking, is all."

It is nerve-wracking. "She never said who he is?" I prompt.

Alya shakes her head, "Said it needed to be a secret for now." What's with Marinette and Ladybug with secrets? "She really likes him, though," Alya says. "Except…"

She sighs and I ask, "Except what?"

"Well, I guess she thinks he treats her differently in some situations and she can't tell if she likes it or not," Alya shrugs. "Honestly…" Leaning closer to me, she whispers, "I always thought you two would make a cute couple, but what can we do?"

My cheeks flush with heat as I stammer out, "Us-? A couple-?"

"Alya-..." Nino says, pinching her cheek. "Didn't we talk about how you can't be so forward all the time?" They giggle at each other as Marinette runs into the classroom.

She goes to sit with Alya and I think about all of this. Me and Marinette? A couple? I've never even thought about it before. Besides, when I turn around to smile at her, she won't even look at me. Just like earlier, she doesn't seem to want to interact with me. Maybe I did something wrong yesterday? Maybe she doesn't want to be friends with me anymore…

Walking into the bakery, I'm determined to have a good conversation with Marinette. She's the only person I get to talk to as Adrien the way I talk to Ladybug as Cat Noir, I can't just lose that. When I tried that on Kagami she immediately one-upped me.

The bell rings as I open the door and sure enough, Marinette has donned her apron to start baking. Smiling, I say, "Hello, again."

She jumps, spilling a few drops of milk. "Adrien?!" she squawks.

"Marinette," I reply, leaning across the counter. "What are you making?"

"Nothing exciting!" she tells me, hiding the recipe behind her back. "It's another secret recipe. Did you need more croissants? Here you go!" Marinette hands me two croissants in a bag and then watches me with a nervous smile. "Off you go, then!"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" I tease.

"What?! Why would I be doing that?!" With an awkward laugh, she turns away. "Sorry, Adrien, but I actually need to run upstairs if you don't want any more baked goods."

"Maybe I do want more baked goods," I say, trying to keep her here.

She looks at me in terror, "You do…?"

Wow, she really doesn't want to talk to me… "Marinette, did I do something to hurt your feelings? I'm sorry if I did. Can I make it up to you somehow?"

"Adrien…" she says, holding tightly onto the counter. "Adrien, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Then is something else up?" I ask, desperate to figure this out. "It just seems like you're avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you," she says, while looking away.

I tilt her chin toward me and inform her, "You won't even look me in the eyes, Marinette…"

Swallowing, she stammers out, "Adrien… I-..."

"I want to fix it," I say, taking her hand. "Just tell me what I can do."

Marinette backs away, pulling her hand from my grip and jumps when she bumps into the cabinet. "I'm sorry, Adrien, I really have to go." With that, she turns around, running up the stairs.

~Marinette~

Holding my face in my hands, I lament to Tikki, "Adrien thinks that I'm upset with him, Tikki… I don't know what to do, this is so difficult."

Tikki pats my shoulder, "Are you sure that avoiding him is the best thing to do?"

"It's too hard!" I declare. "I can't talk to him as Marinette because it's too hard not being able to treat him the way I do as Ladybug, but not talking to him is killing me, Tikki… He looked so worried about me. I feel terrible…"

She hugs my shoulder and coos, "I'm sorry, Marinette. I'm so sorry."

Sniffling, I say, "It's not your fault, Tikki. There's nothing we can do about it now."

"Are you still happy that Ladybug and Adrien are together?" she asks. "Do you think it's worth it?"

"Of course I'm happy, Tikki…" I smile at her, "He makes me so happy. I would go through a lot worse to be with him." She floats up to hug my cheek and I wipe the tears from my eyes. "Alright, let's go make some cake!"

As I trot downstairs, I notice a black suited figure sitting on top of the dessert counter. "Oh, hi, Marinette!" Cat Noir says.

I blink at him, "Cat Noir…? What are you doing here?"

"See," he says, tilting his head to the side with a smile. "I've got a date with Ladybug tomorrow and we're getting ice cream, so I shouldn't grab her a dessert, but I thought I could get us a snack. This is the best bakery in Paris, isn't it?"

Gawking at him, I ask, "But why are you here as…" Gesturing, I conclude, "Cat Noir?"

He looks down at himself, grabbing his tail, "Oh, I guess you're right, I am here in full costume. Oops!" Shrugging, he smiles at me, "Nothing to do about it now."

As I scrunch my eyebrows, I walk behind the counter and look for something we could snack on tomorrow. "Maybe some cheese bread?" I offer.

"Ugh," he gags, shaking his head. "I have bad memories with cheese… Something else would be better." Jumping off the counter, he leans down to look at the display case next to me, placing an arm around my shoulders. "Got any savory crumpets?"

Glancing at him, I can't help smiling at how annoyingly flirtatious he is. "Got any personal space?" I tease, lightly elbowing his side.

He grins at me and asks, "What's that?"

Laughing, I look at our baked goods and point, "There. Onion and chive crumpets."

Cat Noir smells them and sighs happily, "They smell great, Marinette! This really is the best bakery in Paris." Grabbing one, he takes a bite. "Do you think it'll make my breath smell bad, though?"

"You better pay for that," I remind him, "And it'll give you a bit of onion breath, yeah."

He smiles at me, "Oh, come on, no complementary goods for your personal hero?"

Giggling, I boop his nose, "Nope, kitty."

Placing some compensation on the counter, he asks, "What can I take that'll keep my breath fresh? Gotta be ready in case Ladybug wants a smooch."

I push his shoulder, "Don't get too excited, lover boy. You can't kiss her without asking, okay?"

Chuckling, he consents, "Alright, will do, princess."

"It's not savory, but we sell peppermint patties, if you really want fresh breath," I inform him. Grabbing one, I hold it up.

Cat Noir takes a bite while it's still in my hands, and my cheeks feel a bit hot from the closeness. "Mmm, it's really good," he chimes. "I'll take three."

"Including or excluding this one?" I ask.

With a smile, he says, "This one, plus three more."

As I place them in a bag for him, he tilts my chin toward him and asks, "How does my breath smell now?"

His face is so close, I can feel his minty breath tickling my nose. Blinking at him, I breathe out, "Good…"

Cat Noir leans a bit closer and says, "I guess I'd have to ask if I wanted to kiss you, too, right?"

"Huh?" I say, dazed by his shining green eyes.

He chuckles, taking the bag of peppermint patties, placing some more money on the counter. "Thanks for the patties, princess. I'll see you around."

As he's heading out, I stammer, "But I only put two in the bag-"

"I bought the other one for you," he states, waving. "Bye, Marinette."

When he's gone, I pat my cheeks to cool them down before grabbing a peppermint patty. "Thanks, I guess…"

~Gabriel~

They've just been sitting and talking for the past hour. Nothing useful. "I want to know more about you," Adrien says. "Talking about myself for this long is boring."

"I know, I'm sorry," Ladybug apologizes, playing with his hair. "I just can't say anything about my personal life."

"You don't have to tell me details, but can't you give me some vague answers?" Holding her hand, he smiles at her.

She chews on her lip before saying, "Okay… Two of my biggest hobbies are really important aspects of my life. One of them my parents taught me how to do and we still do it together all the time." Smiling, she thinks of how to phrase things, "And the other one I want to do for a living someday. I could spend all my life doing it and die happy."

"Is it more fulfilling than being Miraculous Ladybug?" he asks.

Her eyebrows furrow, "Maybe… I mean, I've been doing it longer than I've been Ladybug."

"I think being a hero would blow anything else I've done out of the water," he says, stroking her cheek. "I'm happy you have so many things you love, Ladybug."

"Don't you love being a model?" she inquires.

"Yeah…" Adrien replies, looking out the dimmed window. "I mean, I think so. I'm mostly doing it because I don't know what else I could do, though." Ladybug squeezes his hand as he goes on. "Everything I do is for my dad, so I'm not sure which things I actually enjoy. For me… It doesn't really matter what I'm doing anymore. As long as I'm doing it with people I care about, I'll agree to anything."

"Adrien…" Ladybug murmurs, "What about fencing? Or piano? Don't you like doing those?"

He shrugs, "Fencing is more fun now that I get to do it at school and it comes in handy sometimes. Before it was just me and one instructor. Piano, too, it's better with Rose's band." Smiling, he kisses her forehead, "Didn't we decide that we were going to talk about you, though?"

Ladybug holds onto his shirt and whispers, "Sorry."

"How did you learn to fight?" he asks, kissing her cheek.

Ladybug's face is as red as her outfit. "My mom…"

He chuckles, "Wow, she must be one tough lady."

"She is," Ladybug smiles.

Adrien brushes his nose with hers, "She'd be really proud of you, if she knew."

"Adrien…" she breathes out, wrapping her arms around his neck.

I prepare myself, debating if I should interrupt their kiss this time. Yesterday I didn't have to, but it might be suspicious if I keep calling in at the wrong moments. Maybe it's best to let nature take its course.

Just as they're leaning in for what appears to be their third attempt at kissing, Ladybug says, "I, um, I remembered something I can tell you."

Adrien blinks at her, "Oh, yeah?"

"It's kind of random to say, but me and Cat Noir are going to get ice cream tomorrow," she laughs awkwardly and adds. "I can ask him if you could come along-! I kind of feel bad that he doesn't know we've been hanging out, you know? He gets really upset when I keep secrets from him and you're a pretty big secret, so…"

Adrien stares at her for a second before smiling, "What time?"

"Five," she replies.

"Five?" he hums. "Sorry, Ladybug, I have a lesson, but maybe you can come over after?"

"Yeah…" she sighs, "I'd like that."

"Do you and Cat Noir hang out a lot?" he asks.

She shakes her head, "Not when we're off duty. But we're actually meeting up in disguises. I think I'm going to use face paint for mine."

"How will you know who he is?"

Ladybug blinks, "I hadn't thought about that… I'm sure I'll be able to figure out who he is, right? How many people will be getting ice cream in a face covering disguise?"

He laughs, "True. Maybe he'll wear something cat themed for you. You should wear something Ladybug themed, too."

"Okay," she agrees. "That's a good plan."

"Akuma, return," I command, having heard all I needed. A laugh escapes my lips as I relish this moment. They'll be hopelessly easy to capture out of their suits. This is my chance and I won't even need to use my akuma's.

Who would have guessed this could be so easy?


	5. Chapter 5

~Marinette~

"Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes, Juleka," I say while changing in her bathroom.

"No problem," she informs me.

I step out and twirl around in my gothic outfit. "How do I look?"

She smiles, "Deadly."

I giggle at her compliment, "Thanks, Juleka. How come you never wear this?"

Shrugging, she says, "I'm not usually in the mood to wear a mini skirt."

Glancing down at my legs, I say, "It doesn't feel that exposing with these tights on, at least."

Luka walks down the hall and smiles at us. "You look good, Marinette."

I blush, "Thanks…" Tucking my bangs back, I hold up my gloved hands. "You don't think it's too much?"

"No," he shakes his head. "You look just right."

Juleka asks me, "Why did you want a black outfit, anyway?"

"Hm?" I hum. "Oh, it's for a costume party! I was going to go as a rocker chick." Giggling nervously, I glance back at Luka who is smiling.

"You make a cute rocker chick," he tells me. "Have fun." Waving, he continues to his room.

I watch him leave, thinking about how Luka always makes me feel the same way. Lately, it's been so hard feeling so many different things around Adrien. I wish it was as simple as things are when I'm talking to Luka.

"Need any help with your makeup?" Juleka asks.

"Really? That would be great, Juleka!" I smile at her, "Thank you."

Arriving at the ice cream stand, I look around for someone with their face hidden. Juleka had a black Ladybug pendant I'm wearing around my neck to hopefully tip him off that it's me. She was surprisingly good at applying heavy white foundation and black eyeliner to give me an authentic punk rocker chick look.

I notice a cat shaped balloon floating above a blond head. When I tap on his shoulder and say, "Kitty?" he turns to me.

He's wearing clown makeup on his face and a very colorful outfit. "Hello there, Lady-," clearing his throat, he corrects, "I mean, love-bug." He seems to have gotten my cue that we shouldn't call each other by our hero names.

The getup makes me laugh, so I cover my mouth to keep some of it in. "You're a clown-?" I ask.

Chuckling, he looks me up and down, saying, "You're an emo?"

I nod and reply, "Something like that."

We smile at each other for a moment and I reach up to pet his hair, "So you really are blond with green eyes."

"That or I'm wearing a wig and contacts so you'll recognize me," he informs with a grin.

I laugh, "Same here."

His smile lingers on my face, "You look beautiful, love-bug."

Chuckling, I straighten his rainbow bow-tie. "You look good in color."

"I guess you're right, we switched color schemes," he points out.

"Should we get our ice-cream?" I suggest.

Gesturing to the stand, he says, "After you, love-bug."

As I'm about to pay for my order of peach ice cream, Cat Noir hands some money to the stand owner first. "You didn't have to do that," I inform him.

"I wanted to," he insists, paying for his own order.

The two of us start to walk along the bridge together, savoring the sweet treat. "So what have you been up to since we last spoke?" he asks me.

I ponder what I can tell him and decide on, "A lot of personal drama."

His eyebrows furrow in concern, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah" I assure him. "I'm going to work it all out. Trust me."

"Look!" he points. "There are some ducks in the water." Grabbing my hand, he pulls me down the stairs toward the river. "Aren't they cute?"

Smiling at them, I say, "I wish we had some bread."

"Yeah," he chuckles. "It might not be a good idea to feed ducks ice cream."

A gust of wind blows his cat balloon away and as I jump to try and catch it, the black rose Juleka placed in my hair falls into the river. The worst part is I'm so distracted I don't even catch the balloon. "Oh no," I say, looking at the flower as it floats toward the ducks. "My friend gave me that."

"Here, hold my ice cream," he says, handing the cone to me.

"What?" I wonder, taking it from his hand. "Why?"

Suddenly, he steps right into the river, shoes and all. "Cat-?! I mean, kitty, what are you doing!?"

"I'm getting it back for you, love-bug," he says chipperly.

"Isn't it cold in there?" I ask him. "Come back! It's not that big of a deal."

"Yeah it is," he contradicts me. "Anything you care about it a big deal to me." His goofy grin flashes at me as he goes waist deep in the river, plucking the rose out of the water. "Got it!"

"Okay, now come back," I command.

He chuckles, "Coming, dear." Once he's almost ashore, he holds the rose out to me and I lean in to take it. His free hand wraps around my wrist as he smiles at me. "You wanna come in?"

Bulging my eyes at him, I warn, "Don't even think about it. You'll drown our ice cream."

"I was almost done with mine anyway," he dismisses, tugging me closer to the water's edge.

"We're both wearing facepaint! What if it washes off?" Juleka's combat boots are dangerously close to the water.

"I wouldn't think of dunking your head, love-bug," he assures me, pulling me ankle deep into the river.

Groaning, I glare at him, "I'm gonna get you for this, kitty."

"Is that a promise?" he laughs.

"Hmmph," I huff. "Just take your ice cream back already. It's dripping on me."As he leans closer to grab it, I smoosh the cone to his nose and laugh as he flinches from the cold. "That was too easy, kitty."

He flashes me a devilish smile and I take a step back. "Why are you running away, love-bug?" he asks, stepping closer.

"I'm not running-" I retort, turning to head for the stairs before he can catch me. Unfortunately, he does catch me, picking me up by the waist and spinning me around. I squeal in surprise, "What are you-?!"

We both laugh as he places me back on the ground, wiping ice cream off his cheek to dollop it on my nose. "Now we're even," he says.

"No we're not!" I retort. "You deserved a cone to the face for getting my shoes wet."

"Doesn't me rescuing your flower count for anything?" he offers.

I giggle, "Don't make me squish my ice cream to your face, too."

"Mmm," he hums, "might be a good flavor combination."

"You're ridiculous," I state, smiling at his cream colored face. Swiping a bit off of his nose, I taste it, "Strawberry?"

He smiles, "Yep."

I watch his green eyes searching mine as he leans closer to me. "You really are a criminal flirt, kitty," I inform him. "Making googly eyes like that all the time."

"I can't help it, love-bug. When I look at you, I feel like nobody else is even here."

The way he says it, it's impossible not to believe him. He's leaning so close to me that I'm hardly standing on my own anymore, his hands around my waist supporting me. "You-" I start to say before losing whatever thought I had.

His forehead brushes mine and he asks me, "Can I kiss you, Ladybug?"

I'm starting to feel dizzy with heat. "Your face is covered in ice cream…" I mumble.

"That's not really an answer…" he reminds me, our wet noses brushing.

Staring at him, all I see are Adrien's eyes. But he's not Adrien, this is Cat Noir. "I don't know," I tell him, surprising both of us.

"Let me try," he pleads, holding my cheek.

This isn't right. I've loved Adrien for so long, I can't do this to him. "I can't…" I whisper.

"But you want to?" he asks me.

"I don't know," I whine. "I'm really confused about this whole thing."

He pulls away from me so fast that I almost fall without the support. "This sucks," he tells me.

"I'm sorry. I love someone else," I say.

He looks at me with his eyebrows furrowed, "Who?"

"I can't tell you," I remind him.

He kicks a rock into the river, scaring a row of ducks. "Yeah, I know, just like you can't tell me your favorite restaurant, or what college you want to go to, or how you spend your time."

"Cat Noir, what's going on? You've never even asked me that stuff, why are you getting upset?"

"Because I know you wouldn't tell me!" he declares, looking my way. "I love you. Because you're smart and strong and you do so many amazing things with an unbelievable amount of grace, but I wish I knew you. I don't know anything about you, Ladybug. We know nothing about each other."

"I know you," I say, staring at him in disbelief. "Just because we don't know each other's real names doesn't mean we don't know each other."

"Yes it does," he replies. "What do you know about me? What do you really know?"

"I-" I stutter, "I know that you're smart and strong, too. And that you're funny. And you like to flirt with people and show off. I know you."

Gesturing to himself, he informs me, "This is who I want to be. Not a clown - Cat Noir. Being Cat Noir was the first chance I've had to be myself. I love you for so many reasons, but the most important thing for me is that I can be myself with you. I love you because I like myself when I'm with you."

"Are you saying you don't like who you are outside of Cat Noir?" All I've ever known him to be is confident. I can't imagine him not liking himself.

Looking at the river, he says, "I feel like when I'm with everyone else I'm just playing by a set of rules that somebody gave to me."

Taking his hand, I encourage him, "You don't have to pretend to be something you aren't. I'm sure people won't mind if you try to be yourself."

He frowns at me, "There's only two people I've ever been myself around and both of them have shot me down."

"That's not the same thing," I try to explain. "What about your friends?"

"You don't get it…" he mutters. "It doesn't matter, anymore."

"What are you saying?" I croak, feeling a panic rise in my chest. "What doesn't matter?"

"It took me until Cat Noir to figure out who I am, but even if I had you, we would never be able to share things with each other like normal people. My friends, my family, I have to lie to all of them in order to keep this part of myself alive. It's horrible."

"We have to protect them," I remind him. "They would be in danger if-"

"If they knew who we were, I get it. But if something ever happens to us, they'll never know why we disappeared off the face of the Earth," he tells me. "Don't you think that would hurt more than them knowing?"

"Why are you thinking about dying?!" I shriek. "Cat Noir, what's gotten into you?"

His green eyes gaze into mine, sending a chill down my spine, "You don't feel this way, too? Like you can never fully be yourself with people? I see the part of you that defeats evil and everyone you know outside of Ladybug sees who you are in your life. Nobody ever gets both sides. Isn't that painful for you?"

"Yes…" I whisper. "Of course it is, but…"

"How are we supposed to keep doing this?" he whimpers. "What if you get married to that boy you like? Are you just going to lie to him for the rest of your life? Lie to your kids? How can you even have kids if you're on call to fight crime all the time?"

This is all happening so fast. I'm not planning on getting married anytime soon - but he's right, I'd have to retire Ladybug if I wanted a family. Is this what I've been feeling with Adrien? Is this why I didn't let him kiss me yesterday?

"We can't just stop," I say. "It's a sacrifice, but we have to do it."

"I don't want to," he says flatly.

Looking up at him, I inquire, "Are you saying you're going to quit being Cat Noir?"

He groans, rubbing his face, smearing the makeup around his mouth. "I'd rather quit being the other me."

The only thing I can think to do is wrap my arms around him. He hugs me back, resting his cheek against my head. "Please, just wait a little longer. I'll try to figure something out." Holding onto the back of his shirt, I nuzzle my face into his shoulder, "Please? Just give me some time."

He slumps into me and his arms lose their grip around me. "Ladybug…," he mumbles, "I feel really tired all of a sudden…"

As I try to keep him up, the same feeling of sleepiness washes over me. "What the-...?"

And everything goes black.

My head hurts.

Groaning, I open my eyes. Sitting across from me is Cat Noir, still decked in his clown attire and tied up with chains. Looking down, I notice there are chains around me too. "Cat Noir!" I call to him. "Wake up!"

He shifts, lifting his eyelids and blinks at me, "Ladybug…?"

"Tikki, spots on!" I tell her, letting the transformation occur. "I think someone's captured us."

He transforms, too, shaking his head to kill any leftover grogginess. "Should I use my Cataclism?"

Looking at the chains, I nod my head, "I think you should."

His Cataclism successfully releases him from his binding, but as he tries to untie mine, nothing he does seems to get them off. He grunts in frustration, "How did they even manage to knot chains like this?!"

"You can do it, Cat Noir," I affirm him. "If you have to recharge your miraculous it won't be a problem because of the facepaint."

A screen flashes to life in the tiny room. "Except it might be a problem," Hawkmoth informs us. Sprinklers pop out of the ceiling, sending a temporary trickle of water down on us. "If you transform back I'll turn the sprinklers on, revealing your identity to all of Paris."

Scrunching my eyebrows, I shout, "Hawkmoth! What are you trying to pull this time?"

"Cat Noir is going to slide both of your miraculous's into the shoot provided-" A small opening in one of the walls reveals itself to us, "Or else I'll reveal both of your identities to the world."

"You would only have my identity, Hawkmoth," Cat Noir retorts.

"Besides, this stunt has already been pulled on us before," I remind him. "Remember how that turned out?"

"This time you won't succeed," he assures us. "And I actually do have Ladybug's identity already."

The image on the screen changes to a recording of me and Adrien eating chocolate covered strawberries. I can feel my face going cherry red as I struggle against my binds, "You were spying on me?!"

"Dude, that's messed up…" Cat Noir agrees.

Hawkmoth laughs, switching the image of me and Adrien off. "If you don't want the world to see who you are when you come home from those dates with Adrien Agreste, then I'll need your miraculous, Ladybug."

Cat Noir snickers, "Did you just make a pun?"

Hawkmoth scrunches his eyebrows, "No, it was a play on words."

"That's a pun," Cat Noir clarifies.

"Cat Noir!" I shriek. "This is no time to bond with Hawkmoth!"

"Sorry, right," he gets back into focus. "Got a plan?"

"Remember what we did last time?" I ask.

He nods, opening his staff to smash the screen with. "Uh…" he says when the screen doesn't smash. "One more time!"

As Cat Noir rams the screen several times, Hawkmoth laughs, "The only way you could have destroyed my screen was with your Cataclism, Cat Noir."

As the two of us try to come up with a plan, Hawkmoth adds, "I'm surprised you aren't shocked your Ladybug was having an affair, Cat Noir."

"We aren't a couple!" I shout at the screen. "Me and Cat Noir are just partners!"

Cat Noir smiles, "I'm actually happy to know who my competition is. Besides, I'm way cooler than some model, so I have reason to think I can beat him to Ladybug's heart. Even if he got to feed her chocolate covered strawberries before me."

This is too embarrassing. My brain is swirling as I try to come up with an idea. "There has to be something we can do," I tell Cat Noir.

"Of course there is," he says. "There's always something we can do."

"Aha!" I exclaim, looking at him. "Can you reach my Yo-Yo? Hand it to me."

He pulls the Yo-Yo off of my hip, placing it in my bound hands. As I toss it in the air, I declare, "Lucky charm!" Something clatters to the floor behind me and I ask Cat Noir, "What is it?"

He picks it up, holding it in front of me, "A washcloth?"

As I look at it, the smell hits my nose, "That's not a washcloth… That's a makeup wipe."

Blinking at it, I think of what Alya told me the other day about my mystery boyfriend, _'Don't worry, you don't have to tell me. But I might be more help if I knew who he was, so only keep it a secret if you really need to, okay? … We're all here for you, mystery identities aside.'_

"Is this really okay?" I ask myself.

"Is what okay?" Cat Noir inquires.

Smiling, I tell him, "I think it's time to stop lying to people."

"What do you mean?" He looks terribly confused.

Taking a deep breath, I say, "Spots off." Tikki pops up beside me and nods her head in encouragement. I smile at her, "Thanks, Tikki…" Looking up at Cat Noir, I say, "We're going to reveal our identities ourselves. Then you can switch back and use your Cataclism to get me out."

His eyes bulge at me, "Are you serious…?"

Nodding, I confirm, "This isn't some trick. We have to do it. Together."

"Claws in," he says, popping back into the clown suit he was wearing. "I have a confession to make," he tells me, wiping the facepaint off around his eyes. "I kind of seduced you as myself."

My eyebrows scrunch as he awkwardly chuckles and looks back at me. The face I see isn't Cat Noir's anymore. It's…

"Adrien?" Hawkmoth says in surprise. "Cat Noir is _Adrien Agreste?_"

For some reason this is so much more embarrassing than if he was anybody else I knew. "You mean- You've had a crush on me as Ladybug this whole time, while I've had a crush on _you_ as Adrien?!"

He shrugs, "I guess?" Chuckling, he adds, "Being jealous of myself was really confusing."

My face falls as I stare at him, "You don't like being Adrien?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, he looks away, "I was just… It's not that I don't like being Adrien…" Turning to me, he's quick to clarify, "And I was happy being with you, Ladybug. It was just hard not being able to tell you everything. It was hard not being able to really talk to you."

"Adrien…" I say, chewing on my lip. "This isn't fair. You're perfect. This was the perfect face reveal I could have asked for because that means I can be with you, but…"

"What?" he prompts.

"What if you're disappointed by me?" It's just Marinette under the makeup. All I am is a klutz of a girl who spills flour on herself every time Adrien smiles at me.

Blinking, he strokes my cheek, "You can't disappoint me." Chuckling, he adds, "I already know you aren't Chloe, so that's promising."

Taking a deep breath, I say, "Do it. Take my makeup off."

I close my eyes as he rubs the facepaint off, waiting for his cue. "Done," he tells me. As I open my eyes, it's his turn to gawk. "Marinette…?"

Smiling awkwardly, I say, "Surprise…"

He looks at me with a special kind of tenderness and says,"You're beautiful." I feel his words flutter my stomach.

All I want to do is look into his green eyes for hours, but we have business to take care of. "Thanks, kitty, now get me out of these chains so we can kick Hawkmoth's butt."

He laughs, "You got it! Claws out!"

Once my chains our finally off, I notice that Hawkmoth isn't on the screen anymore.

"Did he give up?" Adrien asks.

A door opens and I ask Tikki to let me transform as we prepare to face Hawkmoth. Instead, a woman enters the room and Adrien chimes, "Nathalie?"

She looks between the two of us. "I have something to tell you about Hawkmoth," she states.

Me and Cat Noir look at each other, bracing for the news.

~Gabriel~

My son.

My Adrien is Cat Noir?

"Dark wings fall," I demand, exiting my lair.

What am I going to do? Opening the door to my wife's tomb, I approach her. "What will I do, sweetheart? I was so close…"

"Father!" I hear behind me.

As I turn, Cat Noir and Ladybug follow me into the room.

"What do you want?" I ask them.

"Hawkmoth!" Ladybug says, "How could you do this to the civilians of Paris?"

"So you know my secret," I murmur. "Are you here to fight me, then? Am I supposed to fight my own son?

"Father…" Adrien says, "Claws in." Ladybug grabs his hand as he walks toward me. "It's okay, Marinette. Let me talk to him." She nods and he comes to stand in front of me.

"I did this for you," I inform him. "Your mother left us too soon. The only thing that will bring her back are the strongest miraculous's: Ladybug and Cat Noir."

"Don't do this for me, dad," he says, taking my hand. "I don't need mom to come back, I need you to be here."

"What?" I gawk at him. "What are you saying?"

"I'm so sorry about what happened to your wife," Ladybug chimes in. "That must have caused you so much pain… But that doesn't justify what you're doing."

"I like our family," Adrien tells me. "You, me, Nathalie, the Gorilla. We're a family. Mom would be proud of us for moving on. We can't forget her, but that doesn't mean we have to keep clinging to her, either."

Nathalie and the Gorilla approach from the entrance. "Sir," Nathalie says, "I think your mission is complete."

"I can't fight my son…" I admit, taking the miraculous off of my shirt and holding it to Adrien. "I surrender."

He hugs me and I embrace him back.

"I think one more secret will be okay," Ladybug states. "We don't have to tell anyone what happened to Hawkmoth, Mr. Agreste."

Nodding at her, I smile, "Thank you. I think you'll make a good match for my son."

The pair of them both turn rosey, shuffling their feet, "Oh, um, yes, sir, I'll take care of him-?!" Her eyes grow wide, "I mean, he'll take care of me?! Or-"

"We'll take care of each other," Adrien clarifies.

She smiles at him, "Yeah. We will."

Adrien was right. His mother would be proud, perhaps not of me, but certainly of him. As much as I wish she could see the man he has become, glancing back at her coffin, I must accept that she never will.

Nathalie grasps my hand and I pull her into a hug.

Epilogue

~Alya~

"I can't believe you kept that from me for so long!" I chastise Marinette. "You've been kicking butt this whole time?!"

Marinette nods, "Sorry, Alya… But you didn't tell me about Mystique, either!"

I narrow my eyes at her, "Mhm… Fine, I guess we're even."

She sighs in relief as I lean my head against Nino's shoulder. "Aren't you surprised by all this?" I ask him.

"Yeah," he says, "But what am I supposed to do about it other than say: Good job, man!" High fiving Adrien, they both laugh.

"Which thing are you congratulating me for?" Adrien asks, grinning wider than he used to. "Being a superhero or having a superhero girlfriend?"

Marinette's eyes bulge, looking up at Adrien from her place against his chest, "Adrien!"

"What?" he chuckles. "It's true."

Her eyes roll at him, but a smile betrays her, "Yeah, you're right, it is."

I smile at how cute they are together. Who would have guessed love could be so complicated, right? Looking at them now, though, their love doesn't seem complicated at all. He plants a quick kiss on her lips and she runs her fingers through his hair before we all go back to watching the movie.

I'll wait another ten minutes before I chastise her for the hundredth time about keeping Ladybug a secret from me.


End file.
